LH F, A330-300, YUL-MUC
For booking information, see Chicago to Singapore via Europe, F ticket, 70,000 UA miles + $33 (pre-devaluation)
LH 475, F (new)
A330-300 | seat 2A
YUL-MUC
Friday, July 11, 8:20 pm - 9:55 am [+1 day] (7:35 hr)
For the last year or so, I've spend, I would guess, on average 4 hours per day on miles and points: reading, thinking, planning, doing. I love it but it's nonetheless time consuming. Why does that matter? Because all that work has led up to this moment. When I step onto that Lufthansa plane in First Class, it would be the beginning of a new era for me.
They were boarding Y pax when I got to the gate. The agent hinted for me to get back to the Y line as I approached the expedited line, to which I smiled. "First class," I showed her the ticket. They must get a lot of false positives.
Noticing a separate corridor for F and J (remember this is my first time beyond Y), I marched on. "2A", I announced to the door agent as I neared. She didn't greet me by name but said in a nice tone: "to your left." I was devastated. My heart sank as I fell to the floor and started sobbing... just kidding. I walked past the J pax in 2-2-2 config and tried my best to hold back the "I feel sorry for you" look, LOL. Arriving in F, I saw a man getting things ready, who welcomed me by name. He was Nick, my FA for the next 8 hours. "You're the only first class passenger today," he told me. Holy cow! I couldn't believe my luck. Then again, I was surprised this route even had the new F, since Montreal doesn't seem like a big market. Still, I figured more FT'ers would have snatched seats during the
rare release of seats in advance, for which this was one of only 2 routes. Anyhoo, I had reserved seat 2A, which is also
Lucky's favorite seat. It was private and had a good overview of the cabin. Of course I could have sat anywhere in this cabin.
Just a reminder, LH does have an old F on some aircrafts which isn't as attractive, so do your homework before booking.
Now, you have to understand, though I had read about First Class service, there is no substitute for experience. Right off the bat the dedicated service brushed upon me wave after wave. It was gentle but constant. I had no chance. Before I could react, Nick had put my carry on in the overhead bin, handed me a hot towel, brought me warm nuts and champagne, brought the amenity kit, offered to take a picture, and showed me the seat features. There was no doubt: I am in first class! I needed a slow-mo though!
I have to comment on 2 things: the Bose headphone and the music. Now, I've had a Sennheiser headphone for a while that I consider pretty good, but nothing could have prepared me for the utter quiet produced by this Bose. And as soon as I put it on, an otherworldly soothing music came on that transported me to the clouds outside. It was truly a heavenly indulgence. At first I thought this was the default music when you don't have anything specific selected, but upon closer inspection it seems to be from audio Channel 8 - the lounge (which makes sense, since I normally find lounge music relaxing, but this was something else).
The ambiance was just perfect. A rose at your seat and in the front of the cabin, sleek and posh furniture, and comfortable color scheme. It was heaven upon heaven.
Notice my feet in the above photo. It's sitting on an ottoman that you can slide back and forth (with a button). It was great and I missed it in later flights (which had immovable footrests).
It didn't take long for the food to come out. First was an amuse bouche - salmon with cream cheese, which I loved.
Then came the caviar. Since I haven't tried it before, Nick expained how to eat it and brought me ice cold vodka, which he explained was how real Russians enjoy it. I have a feeling I was going to like caviar, as I usually like "stinky" food. And indeed I did. I apologized to Nick for the mess I made! He offered me another round of caviar (looks like they had a few prepared), which I gladly accepted. Double caviar in LH F!
Then came a trio of 3 appetizers, which were just OK.
Now here comes an ambarrassing story. I asked for wine. After Nick poured a sample, he held the bottle like this:
There was a pause and I was confused. Was he waiting for me to accept, reach out and take the bottle, or what? Seeing my hesitation, he explained it was just a pose while I tasted the sample, and he would pour more on my request. Good to know!
Then came the entree, which was some kind of beef with mashed potatoes. The beef was pretty good with the wine. The veggies were OK.
Speaking of wine, Nick is a connoisseur and explained the old world vs new world of wine to me and suggested what I should have with the food. His knowledge and suggestions definitely enhanced my experience.
I considered ordering another fish entree but was also ready for bed, though not before Nick brought out delicious dessert.
Then he made the bed in a separate seat (so I can switch between upright and flat at will):
and there I have it, my first lie flat bed in the sky! I slept for 3-4 hours, then it was time to wake up. I had informed Nick to wake me up at the latest time possible for a quick continental breakfast, and he woke me up at T-40 minutes, which was great (later flights woke me up much earlier). I put on the headphone and enjoyed more of their lounge music, which never seems to get old.
The amenity kit, pajamas and bathroom were identical to
Lucky's review I linked to.
To finish off, Nick handed me a box of premium chocolate he had offered during dinner which I then had no room for. It served my friends and I well later on.
Then it was time to say goodbye. I thoroughly enjoyed my first First Class experience. What better way to start out than on LH F. Put your feet up (on the ottoman), let the otherworldly soothing music transport you, enjoy plenty of food, sleep in a comfy bed, with someone looking after you the whole time -
all in the sky. What more could one ask for? No doubt the service was made even more attentive with me being the only passenger in F. I only wish the flight were longer so I could enjoy more sleep on the comfy bed, and that my stomach were bigger so I could try even more food.
As the plane came to a stop, I didn't see a gate connector. Instead I saw this:
A Porsche and a Mercedes, waiting in the lot. Could it be - the famous Lufthansa ground service, was it really here for me?
Is there a better way to end a flight?
